83 Draft Development Update

[duckyoubeavers]

With all these players now entering their contract year, I wanted to look back and see who actually developed and who busted

1. Ralph Sampson, Portland Trailblazers
Ralph Sampson C 7'4'' 228 23 B C- C- B B A
Ralph Sampson C 7'4'' 228 26 A- C- C- A- A- B
2 in 2 df 2 reb

Projected Contract: MAX

Draft Notes: A 7 foot 4 phenom who won college player of the year three times. Has the potential to be the second coming of Moses Malone. Great post scorer. Good rebounder. Amazing at scoring the basketball close range. Good rim protector who can swat shots and get boards. Can guard the post well while having the length to alter mid range shots. Amazing potential

Ralph developed as expected and is one of the best centers in the league. Anytime a player's notes mention Moses Malone, the player is probably going to be good. Shot blocking may be a little disappointing but tough to complain here.


2. Derek Harper, Cleveland Cavaliers
Derek Harper PG 6'4'' 185 22 C C+ B- B- C- A
Derek Harper PG 6'4'' 185 25 C B- A- B+ C- B
1 out 3 hn 2 df

Projected Contract: 10mil/year

Draft Notes: Scouts have been raving about Harper all season long. A guy who went from being a potential second round pick to maybe the second pick in the draft. He has the potential to be a 20ppg with his skill set. Great handles. Active passer. Aggressive defender. Coach Lou Henson said he can get a little wild on offense but is well disciplined. Puts pressure on ball handlers to get quick steals and buckets. Amazing potential

Derek has not developed into the scorer he was potentially going to be. But he is a solid PG with nice D. A little to be desired but does his job well.

3. Dale Ellis, Washington Bullets
Dale Ellis SF 6'7'' 205 23 C+ C+ C- C+ C A
Dale Ellis SF 6'7'' 205 26 C+ B C- B- C B
2 out 1 df

Projected Contract: 6mil/year

Draft Notes: Scouts graded Ellis like a typical top talent who would normally never become that player in DASL. But due to his scoring abilities, Ellis could be the exception. Star player from University of Tennessee, plays off the ball really well. Good midrange and long distance shooter. Do it all defender. Has the toughness and athleticism to guard more talented players. Amazing raw potential

Dale can definitely be classified as a bust. His scoring abilities never translated to DASL. He does shoot 39% from three on his career but on very limited attempts. Defense never came around either. However he is only 26 and still has B potential so you never know


4. Rodney McCray, Houston Rockets
Rodney McCray SF 6'7'' 220 22 B C- C B- C A
Rodney McCray SF 6'7'' 220 25 B- C C B C C
-1 in 1 out 1 df

Projected Contract: 3mil/year

Draft Notes: Key member of the 1980 Louisville Cardinals Championship Team. Ideal wingman who excels at attacking the basket to garner scores. Can create his own shots. Good at scoring on off ball motion plays. Decent rebounder. Good defender. Guards perimeter well. Scouts feel he can start right away for any team in the league. Good potential

Another bust here. He's a ok defender who could never score efficiently. He's still a young player but with C potential, I don't see him panning out in the future


5. Darrell Walker, Los Angeles Clippers
Darrell Walker PG 6'4'' 180 22 C+ C- B- B- C- A
Darrell Walker PG 6'4'' 180 25 B- C+ C+ B+ C- A
1 in 2 out -1 hn 2 df

Projected Contract: 6mil/year

Draft Notes: Walker can start for a lot of teams due to the need for point guards in this league. He needs to play more under control. He can get frustrated when his shots aren’t falling. Aggressive inside the paint. Solid handles. May need time to knock down the turnovers. Good all around defender. Great potential

Darrell has yet to figure out how to cut out the TOs. His AST/TO is close to 1, which is never good. His D has improved, but not enough to make up for his other shortcomings. I am hesitant to label him as a bust since he still has A potential and had his inside and outside scoring increase in the latest TC.

6. Byron Scott, Boston Celtics
Byron Scott SG 6'3'' 195 22 C+ C+ C+ B- C- A
Byron Scott SG 6'3'' 195 25 B- B B A- C- B
1 in 2 out 2 hn 3 df

Projected Contract: MAX

Draft Notes: Scott is a playmaker. Averaged 17ppg for the Sun Devils and scouts feel their is nothing holding him back. Crafty ball handler. Smart player who can put a team on his back. He can also get at it at the defensive end. Ball hawk defender. Amazing jump shot. Scouts feel in a decade, analysts could be calling him the best player in the draft. Great potential

Byron was a great pick. Averaged 23ppg last season. Not the most efficient scorer but he'll get you points. Chips in 2spg as well. Playmaking ability definitely shows out with 4.6 apg. He did see his outside scoring decrease this offseason but he should still be putting up 20 a game.


7. Clyde Drexler, Detroit Pistons
Clyde Drexler SG 6'7'' 210 21 B- C C B- C A
Clyde Drexler SG 6'7'' 210 24 B C+ C A- C B
1 in 1 out 3 df

Projected Contract: 7mil/year

Draft Notes: Clyde the Glide is an intriguing prospect. Amazing finisher around the rim. On one hand, his game is ideal for the playing style of this league. On the other hand, with more bigs and wings developing an outside game, Clyde could be left behind but that shouldn’t keep GM’s from looking at him early in the draft. Amazing athlete. Good shooting form. Great on the ball defender who can cause opponents to turn the ball over by making bad decisions. Great potential

Clyde has developed into a defensive stud. Ballhawk defender who will get you a couple steals a game. Offensive game hasn't improved much in the league, but I'd argue his D makes up for that. Still young at 24 and with B potential, he could be an all-Defensive player in the near future.


8. Jeff Malone, Miami Heat
Jeff Malone SG 6'4'' 205 22 B- C+ C C+ D+ A
Jeff Malone SG 6'4'' 205 25 B- B- C B D+ B
1 out 2 df

Projected Contract: 5mil/year

Draft Notes: Malone is another guy who could possibly be one of the best players in the draft. Good perimeter defender. Competitive player with a relentless motor. Has the offensive tools to be a main focus on offense. Crafty slasher who excels in the give go game. With the right point guard, Malone could make a real impact from the start. Great potential

Malone has not panned out thus far. With notes claiming he could be one of the best in this draft, he is a huge disappointment. Defense has improved since entering the league and he recently got a +1 at Inside Scoring so all hope is not lost here. He is a 40% 3 point shooter and could be a better fit in a different offense.


9. Steve Stipanovich, Houston Rockets
Steve Stipanovich C 6'11'' 245 23 B- C- C B C+ A
Steve Stipanovich C 6'11'' 245 26 B C C B+ B+ B
1 in 1 out 1 df 3 reb

Projected Contract: 10mil/year

Draft Notes: A solid low post scorer who will need to improve his mid range shooter to be a main focal on offense. A gifted rebounder that can haul down double digit numbers. Terrific defender who can guard paint well. May never win any awards but could be a dependable starter for a long time. Great potential

Stipanovich fits his draft notes perfectly. Not much I can say that isn't stated in his notes. Developed nicely and will be in the league for a while.


10. Thurl Bailey, Boston Celtics
Thurl Bailey PF 6'11'' 215 22 C+ C- C- C+ B- A
Thurl Bailey PF 6'11'' 215 25 B- C- C- C+ B B
1 in 1 reb

Projected Contract: 5mil/year

Draft Notes: Thurl seems to position himself to be the best power forward in the draft class. May never be a star in DASL, but he has star potential. Solid jump shot. Good insider scorer. All around defender. Good rebounder. Solid passer for his size. Bailey is very good at setting screens and picks for teammates. Overall, amazing raw potential

Thurl has not filled out his potential thus far. He could still be the best PF in this class but that says more about the other PFs than it does him. Hasn't developed much of anything in any categories and is only a rotation big at the moment.

11. Sidney Green, Dallas Mavericks
Sidney Green PF 6'9'' 220 23 C+ C D+ B- C+ A
Sidney Green SF 6'9'' 220 26 C+ C C- A- C+ C
1 hn 3 df

Projected Contract: 4mil/year

Draft Notes: High motor big man who can play off the wing. Good athleticism. Can finish plays around the basket. Rebounds well and known to make a block or two. Decent shooter for a big man. May struggle to creat his own shot. Plays team ball. He will need to be more assertive on offense to become a true playmaker. Great potential

Sidney hasn't done much in the league. His D has developed nicely but nothing special on the other end. He's been stuck behind some better options most of his career and seems to be still with the Suns.

12. Roy Hinson, Orlando Magic
Roy Hinson PF 6'9'' 210 22 B- D+ D C B B
Roy Hinson PF 6'9'' 210 25 B D+ C- C+ B+ C
1 in 2 hn 1 df 1 reb

Projected Contract: 4mil/year

Draft Notes: Hinson is a energetic big man that started drawing draft buzz due to his highlight reel of dunks at Rutgers. Active finisher around the basket. Has the ability to excel at both ends of the floor. Scouts feel he can eliminate his bad defensive tendencies. His best quality is his rebounding abilities. Seems to position himself at the right place and has the strength to snatch the ball away from opponents. Good potential

Roy is a solid rotational PF. He averaged 12 and 8 last season. His rebounding hasn't shown up on the stat sheet in a big way thus far but may help overall rebounding for his team. Not an efficient scorer and not great from the charity stripe.

13. Michael Britt, Toronto Raptors
Michael Britt SF 6'7'' 185 22 C+ C C+ C C A
Michael Britt SF 6'7'' 185 25 B- C+ B- C+ C C
1 in 1 out 1 hn 1 df

Projected Contract: 3mil/year

Draft Notes: Britt is an athletic wingman that possesses a variety of skills that can be useful at the next level. Will need time to develop. Makes good decisions with the ball in his hand. Can create his own shot with his dribbling skills. If he can develop a jump shot, he could be a great player. Amazing raw potential

Britt has been the bustiest of busts so far (I may be biased since he's busted on my team). Notes describe him as a potentially great player and he's really failed to live up to the hype. He's had a few encouraging TCs in the past but after slightly regressing this season and his potential dropping from A to C, I can safely label him as a BUST.

14. Ennis Whatley, Houston Rockets
Ennis Whatley PG 6'3'' 177 21 C C- B B+ D+ B
Ennis Whatley PG 6'3'' 177 24 C C A- A- D+ C
1 out 2 hn 1 df

Projected Contract: 8mil/year

Draft Notes: Ready now point guard. Crafty playmaker that can get into lanes and attack the basket or dump it to the open guy. Solid handles. Ball hawk defender. Good basketball IQ and solid skill set. If he can improve his shooting, Whatley would be a threat on offense. All around defender. Solid potential

Ennis has developed into a solid PG. The shooting improvement has yet to come but hes gotten better handles and D throughout his career. Not much else you can ask for from your PG. He'll be a solid PG for many more years.

15. Sidney Lowe, Los Angeles Lakers
Sidney Lowe PG 6'0'' 195 24 C C- B- B+ D+ C
Sidney Lowe PG 6'0'' 195 27 C C B C+ D+ C
1 out 1 hn -3 df

Projected Contract: 2mil/year

Draft Notes: Floor general who can command an offense and get the ball to your best players. Good handling but passing could use some improvement. On defense he gets into players faces to generate turnovers while playing solid one on one defense. Average potential.

Sidney has had some terrible TCs. -3 on D for his career is pretty sad. He'll be relegated to an average backup PG for the rest of his career it seems.

16. Randy Breuer, Houston Rockets
Randy Breuer C 7'3'' 230 23 C+ C- D C+ B- B
Randy Breuer C 7'3'' 230 26 C+ C- D- B B C
-1 hn 2 df 1 reb

Projected Contract: 3mil/year

Breuer is a tall big man who will need to work on his strength and quickness. Overall, good inside scorer. Can be a good rim protector for teams needing to improve their front court. Great rebounder. Has potential to become a starter for a rebuilding team. Will need time to grow. Good potential

Breuer has developed into a solid rotational big. He will give you decent scoring, rebounding, and D. Nothing spectacular but gets the job done. Solid FT shooter as well.

17. Larry Micheaux, Indiana Pacers
Larry Micheaux PF 6'9'' 220 23 B- D+ C- B C+ B
Larry Micheaux PF 6'9'' 220 26 B D+ C- B+ C+ C
1 in 1 df

Projected Contract: 5mil/year

Draft Notes: Ready now prospect. Nicknamed, Mr. Mean due to his kindness and physical abilities. Micheaux possesses a combination of good size, athleticism and inside scoring skills. All around defender. Solid rebounder. Scouts feel he can play real minutes for any team now. Solid potential

Mr Mean is a solid PF in the league. Borderline starter/rotational guy. Better rebounder than his grade will show.

18. Russell Cross, Minnesota Timberwolves
Russell Cross C 6'10'' 215 22 B- D- D+ C+ C+ B
Russell Cross C 6'10'' 215 25 B- D- D+ C+ C+ B

Projected Contract: 2mil/year

Draft Notes: Cross is a mobile big man who can score the ball well inside the paint. Terrible shooter. Will need to work on his free throw shooting to see any real minutes. Defensively, he can guard post and has the physical abilities to become a defensive force. Adequate rebounder. Good potential

Russell has literally not changed in any category since being drafted. He is a solid rotation guy who can block shots better than average. Horid FT shooter still.

19. John Paxson, Golden State Warriors
John Paxson PG 6'2'' 185 23 C C B- C+ D- B
John Paxson PG 6'2'' 185 26 C C+ A- C+ D C
1 out 3 hn 1 reb

Projected Contract: 5mil/year

Draft Notes: Paxton is a smart skilled point guard that excels at getting assists for his team. Known to hit the open shots but will never be the guy who takes 10-20 shots a night. Over time, he could be a starting point in this league. Needs to improve handles. He is also an aggressive defender that nags ball handlers. Good potential

Paxson is a solid PG who handles the ball well and can generate a steal or two a game. Ideal PG for teams who don't need a playmaking PG.


20. Doc Rivers, Miami Heat
Doc Rivers PG 6'4'' 185 22 C+ C- C+ B+ C- B
Doc Rivers PG 6'4'' 185 25 C+ C- C B+ C- C
-1 hn

Projected Contract: 2mil/year

Draft Notes: Young speedy point guard. He is a pass first guard that can score driving the ball. While he looks for assists first, he can still score the ball. Rivers will need to improve his shooting and cut down on turnovers to get an effective guard in DASL. Solid potential

Doc has busted out so far. He's a solid defender but his handles are very poor for a PG who cant score either.

21. David Russell, Orlando Magic
David Russell SF 6'7'' 215 23 B- C- C- C+ C B
David Russell SF 6'7'' 215 26 B- C C- B- C B
1 out 1 df

Projected Contract: 2mil/year

Draft Notes: Star player alongside Chris Mullin for the Red Storm as they progressed to the Regional Semifinals. Great athlete who can leap out of the gym but needs refinement on his touch. Struggles inside the paint and pulling up with consistency. Terrible passing ability but doesn’t commit many turnovers. Good defender on the ball. Good potential.

Russell hasn't developed much at all. Very unremarkable and is barely rotational quality.

22. Antoine Carr, Detroit Pistons
Antoine Carr PF 6'9'' 225 22 C+ C- C- C C+ B
Antoine Carr PF 6'9'' 225 25 B- C C- C+ B- B
1 in 1 out 1 df 1 reb

Projected Contract: 3mil/year

Draft Notes: Versatile scorer that can do it in many ways. Can garner scores by taking his man off the dribble. Good rebounder. Handles the ball fairly well for his size. Throughout College, he had many defensive lapses. May not collect steals or blocks but with the right coaching, he can improve defensively. Good potential

Carr has had a few nice TCs but hasn't put much on the court. Defense still needs to improve for him to be a starter. He does rebound very well for a SF.

23. Randy Wittman, Los Angeles Clippers
Randy Wittman SG 6'6'' 210 24 B- D+ C C D+ B
Randy Wittman SG 6'6'' 210 27 B- C- C+ C D+ B
1 out 1 hn

Projected Contract: 2mil/year

Draft Notes: Wittman will time to see real minutes in a game. Has the potential to give a team real depth in the backcourt. He can put up points in a hurry but he can also be streaky with his jump shot. Known to have bad tendencies on defense. Good potential

Wittman has done very little in the league. Scoring hasn't improved at all and is a poor defender. He's already 27 so not much time for him to improve.

24. Jon Sundvold, Denver Nuggets
Jon Sundvold PG 6'2'' 170 22 C B- B C+ D+ B
Jon Sundvold PG 6'2'' 170 25 C B- B B C- C
2 df 1 reb

Projected Contract: 4mil/year

Draft Notes: New age point guard who is more dependable outside the paint than inside offensively. Decent handling and passing vision but his strength is his quickness. Average defender but needs to hit the gym to prevent injuries over the course of the season. Good potential

Jon can definitely score. He put up 10ppg on 23 min last season with fairly efficient percentages. He's developed to his notes nicely. Can't complain much here, I'd label him as a successful pick.

25. Pace Mannion, Cleveland Cavaliers
Pace Mannion SF 6'7'' 190 23 C+ C C- B+ C C
Pace Mannion SF 6'7'' 190 26 C C C- B+ C C
-1 in

Projected Contract: 3mil/year

Draft Notes: Plug and play defender who can guard inside the paint and out. Solid positionally as well as creating turnovers. Good jump shot but scoring at the rim needs improvement. Very steady with the ball in his hands but passing is lacking. Average potential

Pace is a defender. That's it. Defense was good coming into the league and has stayed the same over the years. Solid pickup toward the back end of the first. A +1 or +2 boost in D would make him a successful pick.

26. Leroy Combs, Detroit Pistons
Leroy Combs SF 6'8'' 210 23 B C- C B- C C
Leroy Combs SF 6'8'' 210 26 B- C- C- B- C C
-1 in -1 hn

Projected Contract: 2mil/year

Draft Notes: Ready now prospect. Combs is a swing man that rates well statistically. He can put points up but will he influence a game. That is a question scouts ask. Teams feel he would be a useful sixth man but teams aren’t hyping over him yet. Great insider scorer. Solid mid range game. Perimeter defender. Solid potential

Leroy's scoring has only regressed since coming into the league. He is firmly a bench option who will give you efficient, albeit low, scoring.

27. Howard Carter
His studies of King Tut have advanced our understanding of ancient Egypt and inspired many to learn more about the King's life. I grade that as a successful pick.

28. John Garris, Toronto Raptors
John Garris PF 6'8'' 205 24 B- C- D+ C+ B- C
John Garris PF 6'8'' 205 27 B+ C- C- C+ B- B
2 in 1 hn

Projected Contract: 4mil/year

Draft Notes: Ready now prospect who can slot into a rotation. Very good jump shot with the ability to bang downlow as well. Average defender who gets by due to quickness and slender frame. Not known to create turnovers. Average potential.

Garris is a big who can come off the bench and give you some points. Not very efficient but he can knock down FTs. Inside scoring increased this offseason so I'm interested to see what he can do now.

29. Scooter McCray, Atlanta Hawks
Scooter McCray PF 6'9'' 215 23 C C- C- C C+ A
Scooter McCray PF 6'9'' 215 26 C C- C B- B B
1 hn 2 df 2 reb

Projected Contract: 2mil/year

Draft Notes: Long term investment who will need 2/3 seasons before his future can be determined. Has the tools to become a good player but will need to continually improve in all areas of his game. His best skill at the moment is his jump shot which is very good for the position. Great potential but you need to be patient.

Scooter has shown some development but hasn't shown anything on the court. We will have to wait and see if he ever gets that amazing TC to make him viable but it looks unlikely at this point

[lukeyrid13]

Good stuff. Sampson is definitely not Moses, but is shaping up to be an All-Star at least.

[lukeyrid13]

Needs a poll

[UOducksTK1]

Scott was probably 2nd best pick, so I’ll roll with it. Also after the 9th pick, there weren’t a whole lot of good players. Bailey was ok, meh.

[lukeyrid13]

Scott was probably 2nd best pick, so I’ll roll with it. Also after the 9th pick, there weren’t a whole lot of good players. Bailey was ok, meh.

Yeah in retrospect Scott definitely is 2nd best player and you could argue with evolution of 3 point shot he could be first choice for some teams. Overall, this draft is pretty weak

[FlDuckFan]

Scott was probably 2nd best pick, so I’ll roll with it. Also after the 9th pick, there weren’t a whole lot of good players. Bailey was ok, meh.

I think Hinson can be considered a good player. He's a very serviceable backup big man.

[Zyme]

Needs a poll

Taken care of

[Oregon Ownage]

Really cool article that hasnt been done before.

Its a nice look back at drafts and things shook out

[UOducksTK1]

Scott was probably 2nd best pick, so I’ll roll with it. Also after the 9th pick, there weren’t a whole lot of good players. Bailey was ok, meh.

I think Hinson can be considered a good player. He's a very serviceable backup big man.

For sure, but no one is more than just a backup or fringe starters. Usually there's a few starters after pick 9 in drafts. Overall, this was one of the weaker drafts we've had.

Which is good! League needs some good ones and bad ones.

[Boom]

This draft was disappointing

[jibbajabba614]

Yeah the forwards were really weak in this class. Two biggest disappointments were Dale Ellis and Jeff Malone. After drafting Caron Butler in DASL 1.0 and watching Paul Pierce develop, C+ C+ C C+ C A wings are really created to fail in the sim engine. Will have to find a way to correct this. Given guys out the draft B B scoring gives them a chance to be A- A- scorers and something Ownage tries to prevent.

[UOducksTK1]

Yeah the forwards were really weak in this class. Two biggest disappointments were Dale Ellis and Jeff Malone. After drafting Caron Butler in DASL 1.0 and watching Paul Pierce develop, C+ C+ C C+ C A wings are really created to fail in the sim engine. Will have to find a way to correct this. Given guys out the draft B B scoring gives them a chance to be A- A- scorers and something Ownage tries to prevent.

Yeah that's tricky. Maxing out their potential, and giving them like 1 attribute rating difference from C+ to B- is usually the best way of solving that. Basically it's almost like hidden potential when they are 1 number of inside scoring and jump shot away from being B- B-. That + high potential, means some big time scoring.

[the goat]

I regret not trading Bird for Sampson when I had the chance.

[bellsduck]

4 very good players
2 above average players
A lot of suckiness

[Oregon Ownage]

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